For Lina

by sil on August 24th, 2013

Galina Busigin, I met her a long time ago playing a fun, addicting multiplayer game called Subspace (later renamed Continuum), though most of us tended to call it SS for short. I want to say it was around 2002. The time frame is hard to judge. Even back then, in a game where we blow each other up, sometimes coordinated, she was outgoing and friendly. I cannot recall the exact reason we hit it off as friends, but we did, and exchanged handles for what would be our most common form of saying hi, AIM.

Here is where I get all tangenty. You’ll have to bear with me. I don’t really have an order here, just a stream of consciousness. Typos and all.

We had a long lapse of communication. I cannot remember the exact time frame, but I was shocked to see that familiar name pop up on aim. I always tried to leave aim up and running, just to try and catch people I have not seen in awhile. It was a happy surprise to find her again. She was coming back home after being gone for awhile. For the longest time, I had thought of her as Lina Lina. For forever, as far as I can remember. It does not get unstuck.

I remember her telling me she had lupus. I immediately went to a House joke and asked if she as going to be okay. She never complained, and always thought positively. I would have been freaking out, but here she was, getting songs stuck in my head.

lina (6:01:47 PM): I just started having the energy to really get up and walk aroundlina (6:02:00 PM): I got out of the hospital almost one week ago but I was still super weaklina (6:02:07 PM): and now am regaining my strength 😀pete (6:02:20 PM): Walking around is a startpete (6:02:28 PM): laying around a bunch tends to do taht to you =)lina (6:03:06 PM): yeah! also, I didnt eat anything for 2 or 3 days in a coma, in bed, and I underwent serious hemodialysis which removed 60lbs in that timelina (6:03:31 PM): and this was after serious seizures (which are exhausting and hurtful to the body)pete (6:03:31 PM): I’m gonna throw it out there, you prolly shouldn’t do taht again. Seems like a bad idea!lina (6:03:41 PM): so you can believe I felt like CRAP!!!!!!!lina (6:03:50 PM): I have never felt that crappy in my life!pete (6:03:53 PM): You are one amazing person, you know thatpete (6:03:56 PM): no foolinlina (6:04:15 PM): well I think I’m pretty cool to be able to survive what Ive gone through 😀pete (6:04:21 PM): Damn skippylina (6:04:26 PM): I WILL SURVIIIIIVE!pete (6:04:30 PM): I’m pretty sure you have some sort of super powerlina (6:04:35 PM): uh uh uh uh uh staying alive, stayin alivepete (6:04:38 PM): Now that song is in my headpete (6:04:44 PM): You might be a villianlina (6:04:56 PM): uh uh uh uh uh uh STAAAAAYINNNNNN ALLIIIIIIIIIVIEEEEEEEEALIIIIVEEE UHlina (6:05:00 PM): STAYIN ALLIVE.lina (6:05:06 PM): roflpete (6:05:09 PM): D:lina (6:05:11 PM): I can be evillina (6:05:13 PM): Im sorrypete (6:05:16 PM): It’s okaylina (6:05:18 PM): :Opete (6:05:20 PM): I forgive you!lina (6:05:24 PM): sweet!

She had a plan, a future she strove for. In spite of it all. It can to be that I did not really know it was still considered a problem. She had a dream plan that she was going to make reality. Snowball fights and all.

lina (8:54:23 PM): I wanna start a biz n make $$, live with in my means n move back up north somewherelina (8:54:27 PM): I miss snowpete (8:54:31 PM): snow is prettypete (8:54:43 PM): where about you thinkin? or no idea yet?lina (8:56:11 PM): I like the idea of Washington dc arealina (8:56:20 PM): fall is so prettypete (8:56:49 PM): nice area, traffic is a pain in the buttttttlina (8:57:09 PM): But also Canada , Ontario in particularpete (8:57:36 PM): oo canada =)lina (8:57:38 PM): yeah? Id wanna live out in the country too a bitlina (8:58:11 PM): but taxes are high there, well see. I wanna start planning n making things happen tho, take charge of my lifepete (8:58:30 PM): damn skippy =)pete (8:58:36 PM): i’m sure you’ll find the perfect placepete (8:59:12 PM): dc itself is pretty small but no reason you couldnt live outside it =)lina (8:59:15 PM): Yeah, four seasons is key lol I wanna have snowball fightspete (8:59:24 PM): four seasons for the winpete (8:59:35 PM): snowball fights, calvin and hobbes style snowmen scenes =)lina (8:59:36 PM): yep, and forestslina (8:59:48 PM): I love northern forestspete (8:59:49 PM): yay forestspete (8:59:52 PM): they are shinypete (8:59:56 PM): i want a forestlina (9:00:05 PM): Are full of lovelypete (9:00:12 PM): absolutely full of lovelylina (9:00:30 PM): To walk thru them when everything is crystallized with icicles and magic snowlina (9:00:48 PM): I miss that from growing up in London ONpete (9:01:04 PM): sounds magicallina (9:01:35 PM): it certainly waspete (9:02:08 PM): =)pete (9:02:20 PM): I’ll have to visit your forest when you find aplacepete (9:02:27 PM): you know, for weeks at a time! bwahahalina (9:02:32 PM): Yep!lina (9:02:42 PM): haha, I’ll have a copete (9:02:50 PM): a co??lina (9:02:53 PM): comfy guest room by thempete (9:03:01 PM): yays!pete (9:03:18 PM): Sounds like the best of timeslina (9:04:51 PM): they will be =)

I love this moment. I mean, no one else is prolly going to get this. But this was just typical. We’re weird. Totally worth it.

lina (8:11:25 PM): me too….. I might give inlina (8:11:26 PM): lolpete (8:11:28 PM): lolpete (8:11:32 PM): to the raspberries?lina (8:11:42 PM): no, to my tomato sandwich pete (8:11:45 PM): oh lolpete (8:11:50 PM): =)lina (8:11:53 PM): I just had some blackberries and blueberrieslina (8:11:59 PM): that satisfied my berry lust, hehepete (8:12:03 PM): 😀pete (8:12:09 PM): i stll have some raspberry ciderpete (8:12:12 PM): that will dolina (8:12:16 PM): B)lina (8:12:18 PM): nompete (8:12:19 PM): maybe you should have the sandwhich!pete (8:12:23 PM): any reason you shouldn?Tpete (8:12:26 PM): t?lina (8:12:51 PM): I might…. I might have a reaction to it… maybe… but it would be small… and it would also be an experiment… to see if it would upset my bodypete (8:13:00 PM): awwwwwwwwwwwlina (8:13:03 PM): even if I suffer from it, it seems manageablelina (8:13:10 PM): Im already talking myself into doing it lolpete (8:13:15 PM): =)pete (8:13:21 PM): just a few bites =)pete (8:13:25 PM): nomnompete (8:13:31 PM): i’m not helping am ilina (8:13:49 PM): hahah – no…. but thats ok, the damage has already been done… in the futurepete (8:14:03 PM): so in the future, you had the sandwich?pete (8:14:14 PM): did you send yourself a letter?!lina (8:14:41 PM): wait – wouldnt I get the letter in the future, AFTER I eat the sandwich?lina (8:14:42 PM): hehelina (8:14:49 PM): yes, in the future I have the sandwichlina (8:14:53 PM): but its not too late to change timelina (8:15:11 PM): but…. I want the sandwich. so the likelihood of changing the future is… unlikelypete (8:15:30 PM): hehehpete (8:15:38 PM): but maybe you find a timespace wormwholepete (8:15:40 PM): in the futurepete (8:15:43 PM): that links to the pastpete (8:15:50 PM): to send you the letter about how tasty it waslina (8:15:53 PM): a link to the past? hehehepete (8:15:56 PM): oh damnlina (8:15:58 PM): sounds awesomepete (8:15:58 PM): that was good lolpete (8:16:03 PM): yay zeldalina (8:16:09 PM): huzzah!pete (8:16:12 PM): and forsooth!lina (8:16:14 PM): I hacked my iphone to give it zelda noisespete (8:16:19 PM): niiiiiicepete (8:16:21 PM): you win!lina (8:16:28 PM): 😀pete (8:16:31 PM): =)lina (8:16:42 PM): ok sandwich time brbpete (8:16:45 PM): okay!pete (8:16:48 PM): enjoy =)pete (8:16:50 PM): nomnomlina (8:35:16 PM): damn….. that was a tasty sandwichlina (8:35:41 PM): incase I complain later for eating it… please remind my future self that it was TOTALLY WORTH IT

I remember seeing an aim status about being back in the hospital. I felt like I had to send her something silly. I combined a couple images that I knew I could draw from reference: Aeris from vg cats sitting on top of a tachikoma. I’m glad we reconnected again then too, Lina Lina.

lina (10:14:06 PM): I got your message. you said you sent me something??pete (10:14:06 PM): =)pete (10:14:09 PM): I did!lina (10:14:16 PM): lol cool!pete (10:14:19 PM): It was quick, I wish I spent more tim eon it now lollina (10:14:29 PM): it will be a surprise, it hasnt gotten here yet, maybe tomorrowpete (10:14:32 PM): 😀lina (10:14:39 PM): that was ridiculously thoughtfullina (10:14:41 PM): pete (10:14:43 PM): =)lina (10:15:06 PM): so nice to be home!!!!pete (10:15:08 PM): You’re one of my favorite friends in the whole wild worldpete (10:15:12 PM): i had to do something cool!pete (10:15:18 PM): home is niecpete (10:15:20 PM): nice* evenpete (10:15:44 PM): I’m slightly impressed how well I am typing for how tired I amlina (10:15:44 PM): awwww. … XD I was just thinking some really nice thoughts about you too while I was cleaning in the bathroom a half an hour agopete (10:15:55 PM): hehe, that seems a little oddlina (10:15:56 PM): about how youve always been there! all these years! that is awesomepete (10:15:58 PM): but awesome!pete (10:16:01 PM): =)lina (10:16:01 PM): yeah, hehe, randompete (10:16:04 PM): random is goodpete (10:16:15 PM): some of the best things are random!pete (10:16:38 PM): we’ve had our times apart, but I’m glad we’ve reconncted over the yearslina (10:16:50 PM): meeee too!

lina (10:33:59 PM): generalizations work most of the timepete (10:34:08 PM): lol yeahpete (10:34:10 PM): but not alwayslina (10:34:19 PM): but then you get your slew of weird characters that fuck up statistics… like you and i 😛pete (10:34:37 PM): we arent certainly screwypete (10:34:41 PM): it’s good to be us =)pete (10:34:44 PM): are*lina (10:39:38 PM): you bet it is.

We talked about trading Christmas presents that year. I sent her some Sat A.M. Sonic the Hedgehog. The entire series had come out on dvd and it was something we both loved. She sent me some Dresden Files novels as she worked at a bookstore at the time. I have not read past those. I remembered the two pages of a text and doodles she wrote in class, scanned, and emailed to me so very long ago. I knew I had them somewhere, but they were not readily available to me on a computer I had running. I never found them at the time for her. I always meant to. I found them now. They’re so silly, so weird. Just like her. I’m sorry I never found them for you.

pete (3:48:11 PM): i need to drawl you a picture toopete (3:48:14 PM): to send alonglina (3:48:31 PM): i would like that lotspete (3:49:21 PM): it’ll be awesome!pete (3:49:39 PM): i remember the like full two pages and writing and doodles you did in class for mepete (3:49:46 PM): i had the pictures somewherelina (3:50:01 PM): eek! so ancient! would love to glimpse into my old mind o__opete (3:50:07 PM): hehepete (3:50:12 PM): i’ll look for them later =)lina (3:50:19 PM): I havent doodled in a long timelina (3:50:25 PM): mahybe I will try to doodle something for you tooolina (3:50:26 PM): mayyybeee 😛

I’m going to hang it up.

Letter from Lina – page 1

Letter from Lina – page 2

This was my christmas drawing that I had direct references to go from that I tried to free hand and work with. I remember she liked that Knuckles looked all jealous of Sonic.

Sonic and Knuckles

She said she had references, but I’m pretty sure this was all Lina. She certainly loved colors.

Sonic from Lina

We would sometimes fangasm about anime we liked. There was a time when this anime, Noir, was one of her favorites. So she sent me copies. Complete with doodles.

First half

Second half

lina (6:02:14 PM): “A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.” -Herm Albright

I remember when she linked this. We were talking about random things, and it became relevant. It reminds me so much of her. She always brought a smile to my face, even when I didn’t want it. I found out about her leaving us not long ago, but for too late after it happened. I wish we had got to chat more this past year. We always had an ebb and flow to how much that happened, and I regret not putting in enough effort to catch more moments being random with you. Lina was born June 21, 1988 and died, suddenly on July 5, 2013.

Love you and miss you, Lina Lina. Hope you’re painting all the colors in the sky.